I have been having pain in my hands for about 3 to 4 years now and its been getting worse. I can't shake anyone's hand because it hurts too much in my palm area and knuckles and overall hand. Since about last October my feet have been acting up and those knuckles hurt and make walking interesting. The top of my foot where my arch is lined up with my big toe will ache so bad that I can't wear shoes and I don't dare rub my foot. I can't normally rub my hands and feet when they ache like they do. Some times its one or the other or even right hand and right foot for example. There's days where I can't open a thing of milk after the seal has been broken. I have wrist braces to help my hands and I'm not seeing improvement with the ankle brace. It seems that the pressure helps to dull the pain so I can function. Then this past Christmas my wrists then last month my ankles hurt like my hands and feet. Do I go to the specialist or is this just my fibromyalgia?Other occupations: heartburn fighter, migraine massage therapist, fibromyalgia trainer, sinus plummer, allergic vet, weather girl and jar pickles loosener.

Hi there, I have fibro and was recently dx'ed with RA as well, so I visit both forums too. :)

I had terrible pain in my fingers for months, I could barely do things like turn a doorknob, open a jar, or zip my kid's coats up. Do you see a rheumy for the fibro? You should definitely see a doctor and tell them about your pain because it sounds like it is affecting your quality of life.

My rheumy told me that with RA, if you have hand pain, it's usually in the 2 joints closest to your hand- I think the MCP and PIP joints. The joint furthest out, on the tip of the finger, is called the DIP joint, and she said if that one hurts, it's usually an indication of Osteoarthritis instead of RA.

If you are a computer person, you can Google things like "Rheumatoid Arthritis hand pain" and it will point you to websites that will tell you about the joints in your hands.

Do you know if things like heat or cold help? Sometimes if I am achy all over, saoking in a hot bath will help. I also have a rice pack that I heat up in the microwave, that I use on my hands when they are in pain. Some people use ice packs, but I have Raynauds, so I don't like cold on my fingers.

I have pain in my knuckles and it's hard to move my hands at times - a lot over the past year. Warmth seems to help me...I have gloves in my purse, jackets, etc to wear in the winter and our winters are very mild - I live in Southern California! I have no strength or ability to open things over the last few months without the help of a gripper. It's very embarrassing. My 9 year-old ends up offering to open things for me.

You might want to see your rheumatologist. I have been dx with Fibro but not RA yet. I also have a lot of pain in both hands, as well as in my feet, knees and elbows. So far, I have been using Bio-Freeze, which seems to help, as well as putting ice packs on the affected areas. I am new to this, so I am trying different options to see what seems to help the best.